EU foreign ministers discuss ending war in Syria

Article by: DON MELVIN

Associated Press

February 18, 2013 - 3:55 AM

BRUSSELS
- EU foreign ministers are discussing how to bring an end to the violence in Syria, a discussion that will likely include the difficult issue of whether to amend the arms embargo against the country so that military aid can be funneled to rebels fighting the regime of Bashar Assad.

An EU official says Britain is lobbying for easing of the arms embargo for the rebels. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about closed-door deliberations.

But several European Union foreign ministers said on their way into the meeting that they opposed taking that step.

The U.N. says nearly 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict since the revolt began in March 2011.